Abad, a bad liar

On September 26, 2013, Budget Secretary Florencio Abad replied to Senator Jinggoy Estrada’s allegations that President Aquino bribed senator judges with the release of their pork-barrel funds to convict Chief Justice Renato Corona in his impeachment trial:

“We were careful not to make PDAF (Priority Development Assistance Fund) releases before, during or after the trial,” he said.

This was reported, using the exact same words, by the Manila Times, Philippine Daily Inquirer, Philippine Star, and Manila Bulletin as well as in the websites of ABS-CBN and GMA7. They used exactly the same quote since Abad sent his reply through a text message, which had been forwarded to me too.

Such a bad liar the budget secretary is. Not only bad, but also a foolish liar. Why would he claim that there were no pork barrel releases when the website of his department has data on releases of pork-barrel funds in 2012, officially called Priority Development Assistance Funds?

In fact, P1 billion of the senators’ pork barrel was released in the three months before the May 29 vote that found Corona guilty, and another P800 million in the three months after. In fact three senators — Ramon Revilla, Francis Escudero, and Lito Lapid — got their pork barrel, P86, P46, and P50 million respectively — just a few days before the May 29, 2012 vote that booted Corona out.

My report though is not just a matter of opinion, but actually more of a reportage based on claims made by both identified (among them, Corona’s defense lawyer Jose Roy, who first made the allegations at the height of the trial, in February last year and more recently, Senator Jinggoy Estrada) and unidentified sources (among them, aghast budget department officials), which allegations are bolstered by objective evidence — the data posted at he website of Abad’s department.

Why did Abad claim that no PDAF were released “before, during or after the trial” when in fact there were such releases? Was Abad trying to mislead the press from checking the facts by issuing a blanket denial that no such releases of pork barrel were made at all, and therefore there wasn’t even an opportunity for bribery?

But perhaps Abad’s problem is that he has such incompetent staff. One Peachy Paderna, his public information chief, texted our reporter, which statement was published: “We checked our website and found no record of such a release. You can also check the site if you’d like to.”

I’m afraid Ms. Paderna doesn’t know what her department’s website contains, or maybe she is so internet-illiterate she doesn’t know how to navigate it to get to the information posted there. I’d like to help her out by providing her with step-by-step instructions only an idiot wouldn’t understand:

After getting to www.dbm.gov.ph website, mouseover the “e-Fund Releases,” and in the drop-down menu click the “Priority Development Assistance Fund” and you will get to the PDAF page.

Then click on the name of the Senator whose PDAF releases you want to check out. For example, click “Revilla, Ramon, Jr.” and voila! you’ll see a page listing each and every PDAF fund released to him, its purpose, date released, and amounts. (You can even download the file in excel or pdf format or go to this direct link.)

There you’ll see PDAF releases to Senator Revilla May 4 and 7, and if you add all the releases on these dates, these will total P86 million, which not coincidentally was released to him a week before the May 29 vote. And the DBM official says she “found no record of such a release”? Was she looking for an “P86 million”?

I’m afraid though that the list doesn’t contain the label “bribe” if Paderna was looking for that, and failing to find this, claimed there was no such record in the DBM website.

some people had talked too much about the timing of the release of your Senators PDAF or DAF as a form of bribe to favor conviction of that ill-fated Mr.Corona. That proceedings were being telecast almost around the world, a lot of people have watched over it, Mr. Corona have been found guilty of betrayal of public trust and culpable violation of Philippine constitutions, by craftily conceal Millions of “his” money from the publics (BIR’s) view it was GOD’s will his wrong-doing was exposed using AMLAs manifest through the Ombudsman. Mr. Corona’s act was a gross infringement of his sworn duty as a head of the judiciary.
Most of the people of the Philippine and around the world who watched that proceedings specially during that confession of Mr. Corona find it so hard for him to get an innocent verdict…
The merits of that trial was sufficient and loud enough to find Mr. Corona guilty as charged of culpable violation of the Philippine Constitution and not the PDAF or DAF as some alleged.
Its releases would have been very malicious if these PDAF or DAP would have gone to these Senators pocket as Cash incentives or Bonuses. These Funds are intended for the countryside development not for their personal use.
Now look, the government was after those who mishandled these funds. Its too surprising the sinator Bong Revilla was the Top grossers of this mishandling or neglect.
You have a very big problem if you would close your eyes in these issues. You see, you are putting a person who is a handicap that cannot handle the affairs of his office?
Your Nation deserved the best. What a pity nation you will become if you’ll allow other issues to dissuade the worst issue.

he he he, so if Pres Aquino is bad then who is good then? lets see; after Marcos, Pres Cory Aquino came to power who is incompetent because she was a housewife and never hold office but the passive masses and supporters convinced her to lead, what a mistake. then came FVR was just as crooked, then ERAP who was worst than FVR and was overthrown, then came GMA who was just the same as the rest of the plunderers. Now Pnoy, and he is a crooked too? hmmm thats debatable lets just make the lesser of all satanas. Now who is the next president? another crooked or worst than Pnoy. Suspense folks. ha ha ha. abangan sa susunod na kabanata of our little banana republic.

The Pnoy have developed the art lying and get away with it. They have thousands of accounts in social media for trend setting and tons of monies to greased reporters, columnist and commentators. It is common knowledge that mogul Abs Cbn is an allied of Pnoy where his sister work. They have boy abunda, korina Sanchez and Karen Davila on their side.

With the revelation of sen bong revilla jr that mar roxas drove him to malacanang pangarap house and met with P’Noy and there also the presence of dbm butch abad. Malacanand admitted that P’Noy did talk to sen bong revilla jr but gave a different reason why this meeting happened. The nagging question is this, why is sec abad present during this meeting between P’Noy and sen bong revilla jr when in fact his job is about budget and finances. Was there a money offerred to sen revilla jr to convince him to convict the former cj corona that both P’Noy and bong revilla jr did not mention in there conflicting statement?

Hell? What hell? You must be referring to that place where a psychopathic imaginary being will send his children to suffer for all eterninty for the silliest of sins as being born in a family of non-believers.

Hey, and when will we see these guys rot in jail? I mean, Pres. Gloria has been ‘contained’ for things she’s been accused of but, for which no evidence and testimonies have been shown to buttress said claims of crimes.

We should – for the sake of the Filipinos’ dignity, pride and mental health, throw these guys in common prisons.

Right now, it looks like we’re just complaining in spite of all the evidences to prove their misdeeds.

Abad is the snake or termites to Aquino. Administration instead of giving good advice to the President he still doing the old tricks of patronage politics to get what he wants in ease. Aquino need to be strong and independent not to be influence, bribery is a crime.